Building construction.



R. T. SAVAGE.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

, 911. 1,071,467, Patented Aug. 26, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

/I w/I/ N a yam/2 BY awn T C2 ATTORNEYS R. T. SAVAGE.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED 11011.24, 1911.

1 07 1 A67 Patented Aug. 26, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES.

INVENTOR' BY 1 {j m M A TTOR/VEYS' V the need for any molds or forms, and also to UNITED-surge PATENT onrion.

as? r. SAVAGE, or Nnw Yoax, N. Y.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 26,1913.

a incatinnme'a November .24, m l. Serial no. 5 2,250.

To all w/wm it may concern Be it known that I, RAY '1. Samoa, .a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Building Construction, of which the following is a specification.

In the use of concrete, which is now employed so largely in structural work, it is usually necessary to construct a mold or form, (which must be substantially water tight) into which the concrete is poured While in a more or less fluid or .plastic state.

These molds or forms are comparatively expensive (running about 50% oft-the total cost of the work) and they require expert Work in the building and handling of the same. Furthermore, the concrete, after the mold is removed, bears the imprint .on its face of any cracks, irregularities .or imperfections in the mold, so that for finished Work, the face of the concrete has in .a great many cases to be entirelyresurfaced. .is the object of my invention to wholly obviate produce a completed structure having a.

such as concrete, which fills up the space. between the inner and outer courses and;

engages in undercut bonding grooves formed on the opposing faces of the blocks of the two courses, whereby to tie the .two courses together in a unitary structure In addition to this, anotherfeature-of the invention consists in holding the blocksof the two courses properly spaced during course of construc-v tion, by means ,of- Spreaders which engage in the bonding grooves in the blocks.

invention will become a'pparentas the. specification proceeds.

have it understood that various changesnnd modifications may be'inade therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Various other features and objects of the,

I In the drawings: Figure 1 is a broken 'secbroken detail .view, with parts shown in section, to illustrate the wall and floor construetion and a form of reinforcement for the floor. Fig. 4 is .a perspective view of a preterred form of building block of which the inner courses are made. Fig. 5 is a like view of a special form of block sometimes used where .a floor or like structure is to branch ofl from the wall.

, The same reference characters refer to corresponding pants throughout the several V-IGWS.

.For purposes of illustration I have shown 1n Fig. 1 a portion of wall constructed in accordance with the preferred form of my invention. This wall is made up of inner and outer courses, 1 and 2, respectively, and between which thereis poured or deposited a filling of bonding material 3. The two courses each consist of a series of units or blocks 4 which may be laid in anyproper and approved fashion. The meeting edges of the blocks are preferably joined in some suitable way, .such as by having aytongue 5 on one block enter a groove 6 in the adjoin,- ing block. For the purpose .of tying the inner and outer .courses together, the blocks forming these courses are preferably provided on their inner opposing faces with bonding grooves 7, which grooves are, as shown, preferably undercut and arranged on downwardly extending inclines on the order-of saw-teeth These bonding grooves are preferably arranged .on. substantially horizontal lines. This particular formation of bonding groove causes the concrete, as it settles of its own weight to-be forced more firmly into the grooves, so thatas ithardens it -w1ll lock the .two courses all the more securely. And the settling'of the concrete 1n these saw-teeth grooves will serve (to draw the two coursesj of the wall all the more .firinly together. I

The blocks which Ij nse are preferably molded of concrete and-underlgreat pressure, as by means of a hydraulic press,

whereby perfect blocks are produced which are close-grained and possess all the strength needed. These blocks may be molded rightcourses will be braced from theoutside at needed points by means of suitable framing 8. This framing may consist simply of a series of uprights which would be spaced apart according to the length of the blocks being used, so as to properly sustain them in place while the concrete is being poured. To "maintain the blocks of the two courses in proper spaced relation while the wall is being constructed, I preferably use spreading means, such as the spacers or spacing members 9, which spacers preferably have their ends 10 of such formation as to engage in the undercut bonding grooves in the blocks. Suitable reinforcing means, such as elements 11,-may, if desired, be placed in the space between the two courses, as well as any pipes, fines or other conduits. After the reinforcing elements, conduits, etc., are in position, the concrete or other bonding material is deposited or poured in the space between the courses, and as this bonding material hardens, it unites the two courses in a practically unitary structure. The Spreaders when thus embedded in the concrete .serve to assist in looking the two courses together. If found desirable, the concrete may be poured so as to leave ventilating or air spaces between the inner and outer courses.

In ordinary practice the blocks are laid in courses up to a floorlevel, and then the blocks are branched off from the inner course at the proper level to produce the floor. For the purpose of branching floor blocks off from the inner course, a special angular-shaped block 12 is preferably employed. This angular block forms a connection between the horizontally disposed floor blocks and the vertically. disposed blocks of the inner course. Concrete, tiling or other flooring material, may then be placed on top of the floor blocks, substan-- tially as indlcated at 13, and for the purpose of giving the necessary rigidity and strength zto the fioor,'horizontal reinforc- 1ng members 14 may be embedded in the floor. These horizontal strengthening members may be united with the vertical remforcing elements of the wall, as in the manner indicated at 15. After a floor has thus been laid, the blocks constituti'ng'the inner and outer courses may be continued on upward. The first block of the inner course which is-above the floor level may be these struction 1 set right in the flooringmaterial, as indicated in Fig. 2', but if desired, the inner course need not be interrupted at the floor level for by employing a special block, such as shown in Fig. 5, the inner course may be made continuous from top to bottomof the structure. This special block is simply one of the ordinary inner course blocks which is provided with a lateral extension 16 with which the floor blocks unite.

For the purpose of additionally strengthening the floor or roofing portion of the structure, I may provide a truss-work, substantially as illustrated in Figs. 2. and 3, the same consisting of truss reinforcements 17 which are embedded in the floor or roofing material. To rovide for the reception of these truss mem ers, I preferably employ another special form of block which, as shown at 18, in Fig. 2, consists of a block having oppositely directed angular end portions 19. Two of these blocks, when united, as'shown in Fig. 2, form a troughlike pocket for the reception of the reinforcing elements. With the use of these truss reinforcements, a rigid. and strong flooring structure is obtained.

It is a well known fact that concrete is not entirelyweatherproof and that in damp weather it sweats so called. To Overcome this objection and to render the struc ture absolutely dry on its interior, I preferably treat the blocks with a suitable weatherproofing compound. The blocks may be treated on both-faces, or only,one face of the blocks of either course may be so treated. Preferably, however, and as shown herein, the blocks of the inner course have their innermost face treated to render them wa terproof, substantiallyas indicatedat 20. This provisionprevents any moisture from seeping through the wall.

In" ordinary concrete work it was usually necessary to provide lat-hing or furring on the inner face of a wall to which the plaster or other finishing coat is applied. Another feature of my invention resides in the provision of means whereby no such devices are necessary. To this end the blocks of the inner course are preferably provided on their exposed faces with retaining grooves or corrugations 21 for receiving the plaster or other coating. By this -con am enabled to apply the plaster or other finishing coat direct to the blocks of the inner course. i

The outer face of the outer course blocks may be finished in any desired manner. For instance, they may be finished to'represent brickwork, or they maybe ornamented in any other way to suit difierent requirements.

What is claimed, is:

1. In building construction, blocks laid in inner and outer courses, which courses are arranged in spaced relation, the blocks of the two courses having horizontally ex-' tending and downwardly inclined undercut bonding grooves of saw-tooth formation, 5 spacing members having their ends adapted to engage in the saw-tooth grooves to hold the blocks of the two courses properly spaced during construction, and a filling of concrete between the two courses, said concrete filling entered into the saw-toothgrooves of the blocks to tie the two courses together.

2. In building construction, blocks laid in inner and outer courses, which courses are disposed in spaced relation, the blocks of the two courses having on their-inner opposed faces, horizontal downwardly extend- .lng undercut bonding grooves, the blocks of the outer course having a finished outer face, the blocks of the inner course having retainin grooves on their exposed face to retain p aster or a-like finishlng coat and being treated with a waterproofing material on their innermost face to render them impregnable to moisture, and a filling of-concrete poured in between the two courses and engaged in the undercut bonding grooves of the blocks to tie the two courses together.

3. In building construction, blocks laid in inner and outer courses, which courses are disposed in spaced relation,-the blocks of the two courses having on their inner opposed faces, horizontal, downwardly extendlng undercut bonding grooves, the blocks of the outer course having a finished outer face,

theblocks of the inner course having retaining grooves on their exposed face to retain plaster or a like finishing coat and being treated with a waterproofing material on their innermost face to render them impregnable to moisture, reinforcing elements disposed between the two courses, and a filling of concrete poured in between the two courses and engaged in the undercut bonding grooves of the blocks to tie the two courses together.

4. In building construction, blocks laid in inner and outer courses with a space intervening between the two courses, the blocks of both courses having horizontally extending downwardly inclined undercut bonding grooves on their opposing inner faces, a fillmg of bonding material between the two courses engaging in and settling naturally by gravity into the downwardy inclined undercut groovesin the blocks to automatically tie the inner and buter courses. to-

ether, the blocks of the outer course hav- 1ng their outer faces finished to .form the outer face ofthe wall, and the blocks of the inner course having their exposed faceprovided with horizontally extending grooves to receive a finish coat of plaster or like material. i v

5. In building construction, blocks having horizontally extending undercut bonding grooves inclined downwardly and inwardly lnto the body of the block, said .blocks being laid in substantially parallel courses with the bonding grooves of the blocks inone course facing the bonding grooves in the blocks of the opposite course, means for holding the courses in proper spaced relation, and a filling of concrete placed between the two courses while in a plastic state whereby such filling material will fiow by gravity down into the downwardly inclined undercut bonding grooves of the blocks in the opposite courses so as to automatically tie the two courses together as the concrete hardens.

6. In building construction, bloc-ks having undercut bondlng grooves extending horizontally of the blocks and inclined downwardly and inwardly on a slant into the body of the blocks, the said blocks being laid in spaced substantially parallel courses, with the bonding grooves of the blocks in opposite courses facing each other, spacers having downwardly projecting hooked ends engaged inthe bonding grooves of the blocks in the opposite courses to hold the courses properly spaced, and a filling of concrete material filled in the space between the courses while plastic so as to flow by gravity down into the downwardly inclined undercut bonding grooves and in hardening to automatically tie the two courses together.

7. In building construction, blocks laid in inner and outer substantially parallel courses to format wall, a filling of concrete 10 between the courses, the blocks composing the two courses having horizontally extending and downwardly inclined undercut bonding grooves on their opposing faces to receive the concrete filling which thereby enters into the downwardly inclined grooves to tie the two courses together, the blocks of the innetcourse extending to a predetermined point and there branching off laterally to form the base for a floor, a layer of concrete on -the laterally extending blocks to provide the fioor surface, theblocks of the inner course being continued on upward above the floor level to the desired height, suitable reinforcements embedded in the concrete. of the wall and floor, and troughshaped blocks cooperating with the laterally extending blocks to form hollow girders at predetermined polnts in the floor for the reception of flooring reinforcements.

8. 'In building construction, superposed blocks laid in inner and outer courses with a space intervening between the two. courses, v the blocks forming such courses having in their opposing faces horizontally extending 125 and downwardly inclined undercut bonding grooves of saw-tooth formation, and a fill- 111g'0f concrete placed in the space between the two courses while in a plastic state, whereby the said filling material will 0f.130

itself flow down into the downwardly in- New York this 22nd day of November A. D. clined undercut bonding grooves in the 1911. blocks so as to automatically tie the blocks constituting the two courses together as the 5 concrete hardens.

Signed at the borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York, city and State of RAY T. SAVAGE.

Witnesses:

LOUISA E. SIMsoN,

PHILIPS. MCLEAN. 

